Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed Tuesday it had struck the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a US air base in the region with missiles and drones. US Central Command called that claim false.
In a pointed fact-check posted on its official X account, CENTCOM stated: "CLAIM: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims they struck U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a U.S. air base in the region with missiles and drones today. FALSE."
The command added, "All Iranian attacks on American forces failed. US forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression."
???? CLAIM: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims they struck U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a U.S. air base in the region with missiles and drones today. FALSE.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 2, 2026
✅ TRUTH: All Iranian attacks on American forces failed. U.S. forces remain vigilant and ready to… pic.twitter.com/KuYzaENUqI
The dueling claims are the latest chapter in a rapidly escalating information war running alongside the physical one.
Iran claimed it fired a broad salvo of ballistic missiles and drones at US military installations across the Gulf on Tuesday, targeting Kuwait and Bahrain in what the IRGC framed as retaliation for earlier American strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier in the day, the US military had struck an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island.
CENTCOM said Iran launched ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors but all failed to hit their intended targets. Two missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, while three launched at Bahrain were intercepted by US and Bahraini air defense forces, it claimed.
ALSO READ: Iran Attacks US Bases In Kuwait; Explosions Heard In Bahrain After America Strikes Qeshm Island
American forces also shot down three Iranian one-way attack drones that had been directed at civilian mariners in regional waters, it said.
The US 5th Fleet, headquartered at Naval Support Activity Bahrain in Manama, is the nerve center of American naval operations across the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea — making it one of Iran's most symbolically significant targets.
Kuwait and Bahrain both host major US military facilities, and the attacks represent one of the broadest Iranian offensives against Gulf states since the conflict began.
ALSO READ: 'Don't Touch Debris, Sharpnel': Kuwait Activates Warning Sirens, Air Defences After Iran Attacks US Bases
The IRGC's claim of a successful strike, swiftly rebutted by CENTCOM in a public fact-check, reflects a broader pattern in the conflict: both sides racing to control the narrative as missiles and drones remain in the air.
Peace talks between Washington and Tehran remain nominally ongoing, though Iran threatened to withdraw from negotiations entirely just one day prior.
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